Method of manufacturing containers.



A. B. STARR.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CONTAINERS. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 6' I9I4.

1,161,795. Patnted Nov. 23,1915.

11 11.13 STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALDEN B. STARR, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO JOHN METHOD OF MANUFACTURING CONTAIl TERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, 1914. Serial No. 822,826. v

(To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALnEN B. STARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of New York, in the borough of Manhattan and State of New York, have-invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Containers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the manufacture of packages, containers, or boxes, and has special reference to methods of making such articles from sheet material, particularly paper and pasteboard, and generally from sheet material of any kind, such as metal, celluloid, and so forth.

- The object of the invention is to provide a method by which the manufacture of such containers may be economically conducted and at the same time produce an article which shall be strong and adapted to securely hold liquid or dry contents. The form of container for which my invention is best adapted is one in which the side wall is cylindrical or tubular and in which the end wall or bottom consists of a disk inserted and secured'within the internal diameter of the cylinder or tube. Large quantities of such containers are now being manufactured by a method which consists in forming the cylindrical side wall first and thereafter applying the end wall or bottom which is held in place by grooves or beads which have been previously formed in the cylindrical body and against or between which the edges of the bottom areheld. These separate steps in the making of the parts of the 1 container and their subsequent assembly, in-

volve an expense which my invention is designed to avoid.

In its broader aspects, therefore, my invention consists in simultaneously forming the side wall of the container and attaching thereto the bottom or end wall.

More specifically, the invention consists in winding a strip of sheet material upon itself so that its layers will be superposed until the desired thickness is obtained, such winding being applied to or against the edge of the disk-like bottom or end wall, which is in the meantime being held in a position generally transverse to the-winding axis or -mandrel, a pressure or tension being exerted upon the winding sheet such that the edge of the bottom or end wall will be caused to displace the material'of thewinding sheet Patented Nov. 23, 1915. i

so as to form an internal annular groove in 1 .a damp or moistened condition so that it will yield to the lateral resistance of the end disk and readily conform thereto and furnish the seat described.

My improved method may be realized by means of .a' variety of machines or apparatus but have shown in the accompanying drawing, 1n conventional form, only one form of apparatus which might be used for the purpose.

In the'drawings, Figure 1 is a' longitudinal section of a mandrel and cooperating parts showing a partially formed container thereon; Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the mandrel; Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the sheets of the material out of which the side wall of the container is made; and Fig. 4 is a side elevation with a portion broken away of the finished container.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates a hollow mandrel mounted upon and to-turn with a shaft 2 which may be driven by gearing 3, or in any other manner.

4 indicates a disk or head supported upon the end of a non-rotating spindle 5 and having a thrust antifriction bearing 6 against a disk 7 secured to the spindle, such bearing and support permitting the disk to rotate independently of the spindle. The disk 4 is mounted adjacent to one end of the mandrel'l concentric therewith and has the same external diameter as the mandrel. The disk andspindle 5 are supposed to be movable in an axial direction toward and away from the end of the mandrel, at the will of the operator, it thereby cooperating with the Jaead of the mandrel to form a clamp. The

side of the mandrel is preferably provided with a longitudinal slot 8 of considerable width, say, approximately 45 degrees of the entire surface of the mandrel and extending throughout its length. In this slot is placed a longitudinal bar 9. which nearly, but not quite, fills the entire width of the slot, and

. v I i one edge of. the bar9' against onelip of the.

slot'8 storming at that point clamping jaws -14 extending-the length of the mandrel.

The end of the mandrel remote from the disk 4 is provided with aflange 15 which serves. as a guide in the winding operation.

Fig. 3 showsthe blank sheet or strip of paper out of which the side' wall of the container is to be formed. This strip is to be woun'd'upon the mandrel, one turn over an other, until the proper thickness of side wall is obtained. For this purpose the length of the strip is made to agree with the number of turns required; its Width is equal to the final length of the. finished container. A

small triangularpiece-is removed from one corner of this-sheet, as indicated at 16, for

. tween the disk 4: and the head of the man annularly beyond 'itheg -surface of the. man

does not prevent the admission of the edg'e of the sheet between'the clampingjaws 14 and the winding'operation is permitted to begin without any crimping or distortion of drel. The externaldiameter of the mandrelis substantially the same as the internal diameter of the. finished container, and this-- disk 17 is of slightly-greater diamet'ensay', for instance, 1 5th of an inch, than the diameter of; the mandrel or the internal diameter of the container of which it is form a part. Therefore, whenthe disk lfisclamped in place upon; them'andrel, its edge projects drel and also beyondthe surface-of the disk 4 which is of the same diameter externally as the mandrel. With the disk 17' thusin place upon-the,- mandrel, Lthe --forward end of the sheet, F ig. .3, is presented to theman drelf so that the cutaway corner 16 will be presented vop-'.osite .'and extend across the edge of, the isk 17,'-the-opposi tecorner-of,

the sheet being against the flan ge 15"as in clicated by the dotted lines 25'. The bar 10 the mandrel is swung on'its pivot in any suitable way to open the jawslt and ad mit the edge of the sheet, after which the bar is allowed to'swing back to clamp the edge. of the sheet and hold it during-the windingoperationgQqBy' cutting away the corner of the-sheet as. at 16, the edge of' the disk '17 the sheet. It is to be understood that before .the she'et'is presented to thewinding mandrel it is moistened insome suitable manner" to soften it andpermit it to, yield locally to: such stresses as it may be subjected to in i the winding foperation; LThis' moistening may i be done'pwlth wateror with the glue which is'c'ommonly applied to; these "sheets to;

hold the various layers 'of the winding together.) InFig. 3 the section'indicated by 18, whichis a sufficient part of the length to make the first turn around the mandrel,

is- -supposed toi be dampened with water, while the remainder ofthe sheet indicated 3 by '19 and the narrow strip 19- is treated with a moist g'lue which serves the double urpose of softening the sheet and rendering it adhesive so/that the layers as they are superposed upbn the winding mandrel will be secured together. The object in using plain water upon the first turn of the sheet is obviously to prevent the sheet from adhering to the mandrel. The glued strip 19 projects through the jaws 14 of the mandrel and becomes operative at the completion of Y the winding operation, as will be explained.

With the edge of the sheet secured in the mandrel, as above described, the. winding operation is begun by simply rotating the mandrel and allowing the sheet to be wound up thereon. In this winding operation a certaintension is put upon the sheet by any suitable means and since the left-hand edge of the sheet extends beyond the disk 17, the sheet will be pressed firmly against the edge .thereof. By reason of the tension under which the sheet is wound-and its moist condition, the projecting edge of the disk 17 will, displace or stretch that portion. of the material-of the sheet immediately opposite the edge-of the disk, causing an annular groove to be formed therein into which the 'edge of the disk will'become seated-as the loo windingis-built up. When the sheet'has been fully wound upon the mandrel with its layers duly secured together by the glue, the inner edge 19 of'the sheet is released from the jaws, 14 any suitable means acting upon the arms 11, and while the conglued edge 19' against the inner surface of the container where it will adhere. The

\ outer surface'of bar 9 Whichprejects slightly tainer is held stationary the mandrel is rotated. a number of timesto rub down the beyond the surface'of the mandrel, willform a bulge-in. the side of the container which 1 will-beremeved when themandrelnith the bar is rotated, while the container is held stationary as described. Thissmoothmgout operation will, at the same time, slightly in-.

crease-the "diameter of the. container'and facilitate its removal from, the mandrel. The

container. may then be removed. frornthe' mandrel by first. Withdrawing the disk 4 and its supporting parts and then sliding the container axially ofi' fromthe mandrel. As the material of the sidewall dries, 1t shrinks" and becomes set so that the edge ofthe disk 17 will be 'firmly embedded and secured therein. By means of any suitable curling p 'f -die "brought' into actionbefore' the container i s remove from the mandrel,v or afterward, the extreme 'edge of the container outside of;

, the bottom or end may be curled inward for additionally securing the disk, as seen at 20 in Fig. 4.-

In order to improve or emphasize the form of the groove in which theedge of the disk 17 becomes seated, a forming die comprising one or more rollers such as shown at 21, may be pressed against the outer surface of the sheet while it is being wound, at a point directly opposite the edge of the disk 17. These rollers may be provided with a roove into which the edge of the disk 17 W1 1 force the layers of the sheet, the latter being thereby given the form of a true bead on the outside of thefinished container. The use of such forming dies in connection with my invention is optional and depends somewhat upon the nature of the material of which the container is made. Such dies would be especially useful when the con.

tainer is made of sheet metal such as tin, since the tension during the winding operation would not sufliciently' displace the tin to afford a definite groove for the end disk.

'In making these containers of sheet metal,

a cylindrical container, my invention is equally applicable to a container of rectangular or other irregular cross-section. A square box with round corners might readily be formed according to this method, either from paper or its equivalent, or metal, and

' I therefore do not wish to be limited to any particular form of container in any construction which may be placed upon the claims which follow.

The end or bottom disk 17 may be perfectly fiat as illustrated, or it may be slightly arched. Likewise it may be mounted in the mandrel at right angles to the axis thereof, as shown, or slightly tilted with respect thereto, the term transversely to the axis used in the appended claims being. understood as approximately at right angles thereto.

I claim x 1. The method of making containers which consists in wrapping sheet material which is eventually to become the side wallof the container, facewise against the edge of a.

disk which is located a short distance from one edge of the side wall sheet and which is eventually. to become an end wall of the container, said side wall sheet beingmeanwhile supported and maintained parallel to the axis on each side of the disk, and during said wrapping operatioi pressing the two parts together to cause the edge of the disk to displace the material of'the side wall and form a seat therein for the disk.

2. In the method of producing a container comprising a tubular member having a disk non-adhesively secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise wrapping one a groove in the sheet into which is fitted the edge of the disk as the tubularmember is formed to thereafter prevent the displacement of the disk after the tubular member is completed. I

3. In the method of producing a paper container comprisin a tubular member having a disk non-ad esively secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise wrapping a plurality of complete turns of relatively thin paper facewise around a disk spaced from but adjacent one side edge of the sheet to produce a tubular member having the disk positioned therein at a short distance from" its bottom edge and simultaneously molding agroove in the sheet into which the edge of the disk is fitted as'the. tubular member is formed to thereafter pre- 1 vent the displacement of the disk after the tubular member is completed.

4. In the method of producing a paper container comprising a tubular member having a disk non-adhesively secured in the bpttom thereof, the steps which comprise first taking a relatively long, narrow sheet of paper and moistening one face thereof for its entire length with glue with the excep tion of a suflicient length of the strip at one end to form a complete turn around a disk, and then wrapping the sheet of material thus treated facewise around the disk, which 2 is spaced from but adjacent one side edge of the sheet to produce a tubular member having the disk positioned therein at a short distance from its bottom edge and simultaneously molding a groove in the sheet into which the edge ofthe disk is fitted as the tubular member is formed, and in then securing the inner free edge of the sheet to the inner wall of the completed'tubular member.

5. In the method of producing a container comprising a tubular member having a disk non-adhesively secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise wrapping one or more turns of a sheet of material around the edge of the disk and simultaneoomprising'a tubular member having a disk non-adhesively secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise wrapping a turn of sheet material facewise around the edge of the diskand simultaneously press-,

.ing'theportion of the sheet surrounding the edge of the disk against the latter with suf- 6 ficientiforce to cause it to mold a groove in the tubular member as it is formed, which groove receives the edge of the disk, and

in then wrapping additional turns of the i sheet material around, the tubular member 10 thus formed in the same manner until the walls ofthe groove formed therein are of suflicient strength t o rigidly secure the disk in' the tubular 'member without the aid of any adhesive. d a e 7, In the method of'p'roducing a container comprising a tubular member and a disk j non-adhesively; secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which :comprise wrapping a strip of sheet material facewise against the 99 edge of the disk which'is positioned a, short distance from one side edge of the sheet and simultaneously pressingthefportion of the i sheet surrounding the edge of the disk against the latter with sufficient force to displace'that portion of the sheet surrounding t 3 fitted as the tubular member is produced.

tainer comprising a disk non-adhesively se-' r the disk to fOr'm a groove in the tubular member thus formed intermediate the ends thereof, into which the edge of the disk is 8. r In the method of producing a paper concured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise wrapping a turn of a relatively thin r sheet of paper around the edge of the disk and simultaneously pressing the-portion of the sheet surrounding the edge of the disk into contact with the latter to cause the said portion of the sheet to be displaced,

. molding a groove for the edge of the disk in the tubular member thus formed, and in continuing wrapping additional turns of the tubular member thus formed while exerting a pressure on it as before until the walls of the tubular member are of the requisite strength and the walls of the groove sulficiently strong to securely hold the disk against displacement.

9.,In the method of-producing a paper container comprising a tubular member having a disk -non-adhesively secured in the bottom thereof, the steps which comprise moistening oneface of a relatively long sheet 'of paper with glue for its entire length with the exception of a sufficient length at one end thereofto form one complete turn of a disk, and in moistening this length with water, then wrapping thesheet thus treated facewise around the edge of the disk and,

e of the requisite stf'ength and the walls of the groove sufiiciently strong to rigidly hold the diskragainst displacement, and in then securing the inner free end of the sheet of ma-' terial to the inner wall of the container.

In Witness whereof I subscribe my signature inth presence of two witnesses. ALDEN B. STAR-R.

Witnesses:

WALDO. M. CHAPIN, JOSEPH BUOKLEY, 

